Rosh Hashana delays start of school in Lower Hudson Valley

First day not till Sept. 9 in 31 of 54 local districts

Aug. 26, 2013

Written by

Gary Stern and Randi Weiner

Save some suncreen. Summer vacation will stretch an extra week in most local school districts.

Thirty-one of the 54 districts in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties will open unusually late — on Sept. 9 — instead of the traditional opening just after Labor Day.

The reason is that the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, falls early this year and most districts will be closed for observance on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6. Since Labor Day is Sept. 2, most districts opted to let students stay home until the following week rather than opening for only two days.

Many districts are instead having staff training on Sept. 3 and 4.

“Why come in for two days?” Port Chester Superintendent Edward Kliszus said. “Attendence could be poor. And it’s a perfect opportunity for training.”

All eight Rockland districts will open on Sept. 9.

“It would be too disruptive to open for a day or two,” said Stephanie Gouss, spokeswoman for the Rockland Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

Still, 19 local districts are opening on Sept. 3, a Tuesday.

Three districts have chosen to open on Sept. 4, and one district, Haldane in Putnam County, will open on Sept. 6.

Four small, neighboring Hudson River districts — Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings and Irvington — try to keep the same calendar and opted to open on Sept. 3, Dobbs Ferry schools spokeswoman Elizabeth Hausman said. Two days of school the first week are just enough to deal with logistical issues and getting students organized, she said.

“The kids can be ready to learn and jump right into the curriculum on September ninth,” she said.

Haldane Superintendent Mark Villanti said it might seem “counter-intuitive” to open for one day the first week, but his district did it last year and found the one-day start an effective way to re-establish school rituals.

“Each district has different cultural norms,” he said. “For us, this seems to work.”

Other scheduling trends for the 2013-14 school year include the following:

» Eleven districts will close on Nov. 27, the day before Thanksgiving, creating a five-day Thanksgiving weekend. Nineteen districts will have half-days or early dismissal that day, and 23 will have regular school days on Nov. 27.» All local districts will begin Christmas/New Year’s break on Monday, Dec. 23. Twenty-seven will reopen on Thursday, Jan. 2. But an equal number of districts will stay closed until Monday, Jan. 6 — giving students a full two weeks off.» Nearly all local districts will have a week-long mid-winter break from Feb. 17-21. Lakeland in northern Westchester will close only two days that week, and Haldane and North Rockland will close for three days.» Most local districts will have spring break during the week of April 14-18. Many will extend the break until Monday, April 21, or even Tuesday, April 22.» Nearly all districts will hold their last day of school on June 26, a Thursday, although a few will end the 2013-14 school year the next day.